Rangers' Staal awaits evaluation on eye injury

The Sports Xchange

The SportsXchangeMarch 6, 2013

New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal has swelling around his right eye that makes it difficult to determine the severity of his injury after he was struck by a slap shot in Tuesday night's game against the Philadelphia Floyers. "It's hard to say now," his brother, Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal, said Wednesday via NHL.com. "They're just waiting for the swelling to go down," Eric Staal said he felt better about his brother's condition after speaking with him Wednesday morning. It's unknown how long Marc Staal, 26, might be sidelined. "He sounded like he was in OK spirits, but we don't know a lot right now," Staal said. "Obviously we're saying prayers and hoping he dodged a bullet as far as being struck in that area. We'll know more with some more time." Marc Staal has two goals and nine assists in 21 games this season.